Accessing Healthcare Services for Routine Illnesses in the Era of COVID-19

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–You can’t turn on the television, radio or pick up your mobile device without a new media story popping up about the Coronavirus pandemic or COVID-19, and this is creating a lot of fear and likely questions around what to do if you have a more routine illness like an allergic reaction, or the stomach flu. The answer: virtual healthcare.

“Our virtual medical services have always offered convenient, quick and comprehensive healthcare to consumers in the comfort of their homes via mobile devices,” says Kishlay Anand, MD, president of Akos. “But today, with COVID-19 spreading so rapidly worldwide, and here in the United States, it’s become even more important to our patients and their families to avoid public places, especially healthcare centers full of sick people. Some people may still get sick with other illnesses beyond the Coronavirus and will have to connect with a provider.”

Akos provides virtual medicine via a home care app, called Akos, on Google Play and iTunes. The app ensures you can stay in the sanctity of your home when ill, but still connect to a healthcare provider via your mobile device. Akos also has 14 med clinics located inside Safeway stores in Arizona and Idaho (www.AkosMedClinic.com). Those clinics provide a virtual connection to a healthcare provider via an Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality kiosk. The visits are comprehensive, but brief and allow patients to be in a room with just a medical assistant and the kiosk, limiting exposure to others. Visits on the app, or in the med clinic, are just $49.00 for new patients and most are completed within 20 mins. The kiosks in the med clinics are cleaned with Clorox wipes extensively after each patient.

“Because there is so much fear associated with Coronavirus, people who are sick with other illnesses may not seek care because they are afraid to venture out of their homes,” added Dr. Anand. “We want them to know that help is just a virtual call away or a quick trip to their local Safeway store. And, we can not only diagnose them through virtual care, but we can also answer any questions they may have about COVID-19.”